It’s time for #6degrees. Start with the monthly read, add six books, and see where you end up. The 6 Degrees of Separation Meme is hosted every month at Books are my Favorite and Best. The book for September 2021 is Second Place by Rachel Cusk.
Book Blurb: A woman invites a famous artist to use her guesthouse in the remote coastal landscape where she lives with her family. Powerfully drawn to his paintings, she believes his vision might penetrate the mystery at the center of her life. But as a long, dry summer sets in, his provocative presence itself becomes an enigma―and disrupts the calm of her secluded household.
I haven’t read Second Place, but the blurb reminded me heavily of family sagas triggered off by critical events in the life of an ancestor. So, here are 6 books all tied-up in family legacy.
The first book that comes to mind is What’s Bred in the Bone. I’ve just recently started this mystery book by Canadian author Robertson Davies, involving a wicked old uncle who might have forged a few paintings.
Second link for Second Place is The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. The series (also televised) captures the ups and downs of 3 family generations, mostly as a reflection of the discontent from forced marriages.
The third link I’m going to draw up is Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Bleak House shows the bleak consequences of a family dispute through multiple generations. No one has won the case yet, but everyone relies on the possible victory.
Fourth here is The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The book is a history of the gabled house in New England. The house seems to be cursed with fraudulent dealings, witchcraft, and mysterious deaths of its inhabitants.
Fifth in the chain is Possession by A.S. Byatt. Two literary scholars find out about a secret love affair between two Victorian poets through an artful trail of clues pieced together in poetry. They are about to find out more about their family history as well.
Finally, we come to The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky, a book I’ve quoted often. Three very different brothers have to struggle with their father’s seemingly inconsequential actions, snowballing eventually into a disaster.
Which books would you add to this chain? And what is your own #6Degrees chain like? Let’s discuss!
26 replies on “Second Place & Six Family Sagas”
I like the linkages here and also liked the question you asked at the end! I’d can link back to chain through my ending book, The Bone Shard Daughter. Then we can head on back to Rachel Cusk’s Second Place to make it a full circle via a different route. 😀
The Bone Shard Daughter is an adult fantasy. One of the major plotlines is a daughter who is forced by her father to compete with her foster brother for the throne. He refuses to make her heir until she passes a number of tests, causing much tension between the two of them. Families can be so difficult!
Interesting plot! I’ve heard of Bone Shard Daughter, but I was worried it wouldn’t be a standalone so I never took it up. The family issue spin on it makes it seem like the perfect add-on to this chain!
A great chain! I loved most books you’ve listed. When it comes to family sagas (that may be connected to tragic events) I recall I also enjoyed Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and The Maias by Eça de Queirós.
I really want to watch the movie they made on Pachinko, it had received considerable praise some time back. (Possibly following on from The Parasite wagon, but I hope it’s as good.)
That’s a great chain! I have read Bleak House and Possession and have The Brothers Karamazov on the TBR. I would also like to read What’s Bred in the Bone but I’m already in the middle of another trilogy by Robertson Davies so it will be a while before I get to that one.
In that case, look forward to your reviews of Davies’s trilogy! I’d recommend the movie versions for Karamazov, but the ones I’ve seen (with actor Yul Brynner and a Russian TV version) weren’t all that great.
I’ve actually seen BOTH televised versions of the Forsythe Saga, and I have all 12 volumes of the books, but I’ve never read even one of them! Really nice family chain here.
There are 2 TV versions for Forsythe Saga? Of course there are, but now I want to go hunt down the other one. It can be *quite* an addictive spree.
Ah, you have a Dickens in your chain as well! Nice idea to base the chain on family sagas. I haven’t read any of the books in your chain. I’ve considered The Brothers Karamazov, but I didn’t get on that well with Crime and Punishment (which surprised me) so it may be a while before I give Dostoevsky another try.
Hmm. If you didn’t like Crime and Punishment all that much, I guess Karamazov might not be for you. Dostoevsky has a distinct writing style, can be hit or miss I guess.
I like the fact that most of your chain consists of books that have stood the test of time. It’s easy to forget the classics in a rush to keep up. Note to self – think about including a classic or two yourself next time.
The funny thing is that I really avoid family sagas in the more recent/ contemporary books — so when I thought I’d do a chain on the family angle, I could only think of the classics!
The only book in this fun chain that I’ve read is House of Seven Gables. I tried to read Possession once but didn’t finish it, though I love the movie they made of it.
Yes! The movie was so good. It’s very different from the book, it had to be, too difficult to capture all the poetry and prose that Byatt throws at us in the book! 😂
Nice connection. Loved your last title!
My post is here: https://wordsandpeace.com/2021/09/04/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-place-to-a-killer/
We do like our Russian classics, don’t we? 🙂
Lots of great sagas here! Some I’ve read, others heading for my TBR.
Thanks, Lex.
All heavy duty ones to plod through, but at least they all end on a happy enough note.
I love the idea of mysteries that span generations. 🙂
Oh, well spotted! That’s actually so true for this chain. :O
I love a good family saga! There’s so many to choose from.
Enjoyed your chain!
I typically avoid reading family sagas — so all I have are the older classics that I may have accidentally bumped into reading!
I love a family saga! The last one I read (quite recently actually) was Pachinko.
Pachinko! Now that book is getting a lot of praise. I’m probably going to take the shortcut and watch the movie — which I do hope captures the book well.
As always, thanks for hosting this great meme!
I like how you’ve connected these. I’ve only read one so far, The House of the Seven Gables. I think I had to read it way back in high school. 🙂
Wow, I’ve read four of your six books (the last four) and “Possession” is one of my absolute favourites.
My Six Degrees of Separation led me to Burma/Myanmar.